Asia Archives - Hopping About

One month in Vietnam – from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

One month in Vietnam

04/01/201925/04/2020Vietnam

We spent one month (December 2018) travelling from Hanoi in northern Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam. We used trains and buses to get around, supplemented by taxis, boats, bikes, scooters, ferries...Our

Here’s our guide to what to expect when homestaying in Vietnam.

What to expect from a Vietnamese homestay

04/01/201925/04/2020Vietnam

We loved staying in Vietnamese homestays. They are often the cheapest form of accommodation (5-10 EUR a night) and you can book them through service providers like Booking.com. We started to see a pattern, so

After a month travelling from Hanoi in northern Vietnam, we spent one evening and one day in this southern, cosmopolitan city before returning home.

Ho Chi Minh City – Already halfway home

02/01/201925/04/2020Vietnam

With an evening flight home booked from Ho Chi Minh City, we chose to just spend one evening and day here before we left Vietnam. For us we think this was the right choice but

When we were in Ho Chi Minh City we were relieved to taste some proper Vietnam beer at Pasteur Street Brewing, after a month of lager elsewhere.

Hopspot: Pasteur Street Brewing

02/01/201925/04/2020Hopspot, Vietnam

When we were researching our trip to Vietnam, we already knew that craft beer was becoming very popular in this country. Ho Chi Minh City seems to be the source of the good Vietnam beer.

From Ha Tien, we opt to make a trip to Hai Tac, the pirate island halfway between the mainland and Phu Quoc

A day on pirate island Hai Tac

01/01/201925/04/2020Vietnam

From Ha Tien, most people go to either Cambodia or Phu Quoc. When we applied for our visas for Vietnam, we had requested single entry visas, so if we went to Cambodia, we wouldn't be

We took a scooter out for the day to visit some of the caves and beaches, including Duong Beach to the south and north of Ha Tien.

Caves and beaches around Ha Tien

31/12/201825/04/2020Vietnam

After we arrived in Ha Tien we quickly found ourselves eating a Greek salad (real cheese finally!) and drinking cheap beers in Oasis bar, run by Brit Andy since 2009 . But we were also

We took a bus from Cat Tien National Park to Can Tho, and stayed over one night before continuing our journey (via Rach Gia) to Ha Tien.

Bus(es) from Cat Tien National Park to Ha Tien

30/12/201825/04/2020Vietnam

Having arrived in Cat Tien and only then realised that heading to Ho Chi Minh City afterwards wasn't the only option, we booked ourselves on a bus to Can Tho (in the Mekong Delta) through

Cat Tien National Park turns out to be one of the best last-minute additions to our trip in Vietnam. There’s hiking, wildlife, and a laid back atmosphere.

Cat Tien National Park

28/12/201825/04/2020Vietnam

Day 1 - a walk and the night tour We arrived in our accommodation, Eco Floor Bird Song Lodge, just around lunch time. Getting there is a bit trickier than most places we'd visited so

Here’s how we organised a bus transfer from Dalat to Cat Tien National Park. It’s worth the extra effort needed to visit this place.

Bus from Dalat to Cat Tien National Park

26/12/201825/04/2020Vietnam

Having realised that Dalat and us weren’t going to get along, we spent Christmas morning planning an escape route in the direction of Cat Tien National Park. We knew it was halfway between Dalat and

We got the train from Dieu Tri and then a bus to Dalat with the Sinh Tourist. But Dalat itself didn’t win us over – maybe we’d set our expectations too high.

Train and bus from Bai Xep to Dalat

24/12/201825/04/2020Vietnam

We were up at 5.45am again to be driven from Bai Xep back to the train station in Dieu Tri after our one night's stop in the 'shark shack'. Kim got hustled a bit by